


Just Stay The Same (The What You're Searching For Remix)

by samalander



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Awkward Dates, Crossdressing, Everyone Is Poly Because Avengers, F/F, F/M, M/M, Makeup, Minor Clint Barton/Natasha Romanov, Multi, Polyamory, Tony doesn't listen well
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-04
Updated: 2014-05-04
Packaged: 2018-01-21 20:40:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,496
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1563317
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/samalander/pseuds/samalander
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony needs a little help getting ready for his date with Bruce. Natasha and Pepper oblige.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Just Stay The Same (The What You're Searching For Remix)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [a_q](https://archiveofourown.org/users/a_q/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Date Night](https://archiveofourown.org/works/460385) by [a_q](https://archiveofourown.org/users/a_q/pseuds/a_q). 



> Title from Bruno Mars' "Just the Way You Are"
> 
>  
> 
> _Oh, you know, you know, you know I'd never ask you to change_  
>  _If perfect's what you're searching for, then just stay the same_  
>  _So don't even bother asking if you look okay_  
>  _You know I'll say_  
>  _When I see your face_  
>  _There's not a thing that I would change_  
>  _'Cause you're amazing_  
>  _Just the way you are_
> 
>  
> 
> Thanks to A for the beta, and M for the cheerleading.

"Why am I doing this?" Natasha asks, flipping through Pepper's closet. "It doesn't seem—I mean, it seems above and beyond, doesn't it?"

"Above and beyond what?" Pepper asks, coming from behind to wrap her arms around Natasha's waist, dropping a sweet kiss onto her freckled shoulder.

Natasha smiles and leans her head back, inhaling the powder-fresh smell of the skin of Pepper's shoulder and neck. "Above and beyond what I-- or anyone who isn't _you_ \-- should be doing for Stark."

"Because you're secretly very nice," Pepper says. "And you look hot naked."

She does look hot naked, Natasha has to agree. It's one of her best assets. "But it seems like--" she shrugs. "You know, I think you had sex with me before you asked for this favor on purpose. I think you were angling for something. Using your wiles on me."

"Oh, I have wiles?" Pepper is grinning wide, her eyes brilliant and sparkling. "Are you sure?"

"According to Tony, you only have 12% of a wile, sure. But I like that 12%, personally."

Pepper laughs a little before stepping back to swat Natasha's ass. "Pick a dress," she says. "Something in red. He likes red."

It takes a few more minutes for Natasha to choose. The contents of Pepper's closet are all nice-- she doesn't buy anything that isn't _nice_ \-- but choosing something for Tony seems like a challenge unto itself, and Natasha has barely selected a red sleeveless gown before the knock comes at the door.

Pepper slips a dry martini into Natasha's hand before she lets Tony in. He's sweaty, shifting from foot to foot in a way that, on anyone else, might be nerves. But on Tony, well, Natasha was torn between him needing to pee, and just being so full of science that he couldn't stay still.

"Hey," Pepper smiles, stepping in to kiss his lips gently. "You're covered in motor oil."

"I was working," he says by way of hello, but Natasha can hear the tenderness in his voice, the kind of sweetness that he and Pepper seem to reserve for each other and only each other. It's good, she thinks. It's the way she and Clint talk to each other, too. They all have people on the side, all have folks who supplement their monogamy, but their primary partners are special. And, somehow, Pepper and Tony and Clint all show that though vocal cues.

"Go take a shower," Pepper wrinkles her nose at him. "And wash your hair. None of that rinsing off nonsense."

Tony makes a face, but he complies quickly, taking long, fluid steps into the bathroom.

"Hi," Natasha offers at the closing door, but if he hears, he doesn't acknowledge her.

"He's nervous," Pepper says, the long-suffering voice of Tony Stark's excuses. "He doesn’t mean to be rude."

Natasha raises an eyebrow and drains her martini, handing the empty glass back to Pepper. "You owe me fancy underwear for this," she says, rolling her neck. "So much fancy underwear."

* * *

By the time Tony's back, his hair sopping wet and plastered against his forehead, Natasha is three martinis down, and feeling more amenable to favors.

"Sit," she tells him, gesturing to the plush settee that, she knows, is intensely fun to make out on.

"Roll over," Tony snaps back, but he complies. "Beg?"

Natasha rolls her eyes at him, but fetches the makeup kit from the vanity. She doesn't say anything at first, just takes time laying out various tubs and tubes, little ramekins of shimmering powders, bronzers and lipsticks.

She arranged them the way she needed them, primer and toner and mascara, all at her fingertips. "I've done this for Clint before," she says. "And once for Thor. Do you have a character in mind?"

"Um," Tony swallows, securing the towel around his hips. "Yes. Bruce wants me to be-- prettier. When we go out on dates. So I want to look--" he gestures vaguely at Pepper. "Like her? But-- can you do the thing with the eyes? Where you look like Liz Taylor in Cleopatra?"

"Yes," Natasha says, taking a moment to consider the melange of makeups in front of her. "Any of this that's off limits?" she asks, inclining her head towards Pepper.

"It's all his," Pepper shrugs from behind the bar, where she appears to be mixing more drinks. "When you're on TV as much as him, as many red carpets, you accumulate some guyliner."

Tony is fidgeting, his hands always busy, but his mouth uncharacteristically still.

"You okay?" Natasha asks, turning his head to the side, careful not to get any of the base color in his beard.

"I'm--" Tony shrugs. "Honestly, I'm thinking about repluser tech. SHIELD ordered a ton of repulser engines for some new Helicarrier project. It's-- scaling. Scaling is hard. Cause you need to modify the circuitry, provide an appropriate heatsink, you know, all the usual."

The smile that Natasha gives him is almost coy, almost sweet. "The usual?" she asks, pretending to be a little dumb, trying to bring him to stillness.

Tony eyes her for a moment before continuing, talking about economies of scale and the challenge of getting vibranium from an isolationist state like Wakanda. Natasha listens with half an ear, giving most of her attention to the slope of his nose, to contouring it in an attempt to make his face-- goatee and all-- look coquettish.

"That's amazing," Pepper says, peering over her shoulder.

It's not, really-- there's so much left to do, blending and decorating and the like. Natasha's barely applied the lowlights-- but Tony grins, Pepper's praise like a balm to his anxious soul. 

"Think Bruce will like it?"

"You'll be the prettiest person in the tower tonight," Natasha smiles. "I mean, besides Thor. And maybe Steve. Third prettiest. At least."

Pepper laughs and Tony smiles, the tension between them finally dissolving into something more like camaraderie. It's a testament to the combination of martinis and Pepper's special form of calming influence, but Natasha learned long ago not to question such things, to let the natural talents of the people around her rest like blankets on her shoulders.

It takes twenty more minutes to finish painting Tony, winged eyeliner and all, and when she finally steps back to appreciate her handiwork, Natasha can't help smiling.

"You are a vision," she says, and Tony makes a scoffing noise in his throat.

"A pretty lady with a beard," he says.

"Some of the prettiest ladies I know had beards sometimes," Natasha shrugs. "It's not unheard of."

Tony seems skeptical, but doesn't push it, opting instead to stand and let Pepper help him into the slinky red dress and the matching pumps-- the dress is too long and the pumps too small, but Tony still manages to look good, like someone who should always be decked out in heels and mascara.

He takes time in the mirror, admiring his butt, his eyes, his newly flawless skin.

"Bruce is gonna love this," Tony smiles, and leans in to kiss Pepper on the lips. "Thank you," he says, offering Natasha his hand. "Really, thank you. You do great work."

Natasha shrugs and waves it off, opting instead to pack up the rest of the makeup as Pepper and Tony share a drink and chat quietly.

The knock at the door is the quiet, unassuming knock that Natasha has come to associate with Bruce. For a man with a propensity to turn into a giant green monster, he's actually quite mild-mannered and polite in the day-to-day.

Tony totters over in his too-small shoes, striking a pose like Jessica Rabbit as he reveals himself to his date for the evening.

Natasha doesn't know what she was expecting, really, but it wasn’t for Bruce to collapse into a paroxysm of desperate laughter.

" _Tony_ " he asks, the shock in his voice raw and open. "What-- you look great. But-- but why?"

Tony's confusion is evident on his face. "You don't like it?"

"No-- I mean, yes. Yes, Tony, I like it," Bruce smiles, touching Tony's cheek softly. "But what prompted it?"

"You said I wasn't pretty," Tony sys, a boyish pout coloring his words.

"I did not!"

Natasha casts a glance across the room at Pepper, who seems to be exactly as amused as she is, but with the added benefit of alcohol in her hand.

"You did!" Tony insists. "You said I never got pretty for our dates!"

"Oh for-- is that--" Bruce sputters. "Tony. I said it would be nice if you didn't show up covered in motor oil."

Tony seems to consider that for a long moment before shrugging. "Well. I'm not covered in motor oil now," he suggests. "Wanna go get Thai food and fool around?"

"Yeah," Bruce nods, and offers Tony his arm to lean on. "Thanks, ladies," Bruce smiles, waving to Pepper and Natasha. "I-- This is certainly something."

To her credit, Natasha manages not to start giggling until the door is closed.


End file.
